


Fly Me (Like an Angel) to a Place Where I Can Rest

by Dessa



Series: Feelstember [2]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Feelstember, Fluff, Gen, Phoenix Nest Discord
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:48:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26236669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dessa/pseuds/Dessa
Summary: Feelstember 2020 fics and ficlets. List of Prompts inside.Title comes from the song "September When it Comes," by Rosanne and Johnny Cash, same as last year's.
Relationships: Ezra Bridger & Ursa Wren
Series: Feelstember [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1905703
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10
Collections: Feelstember 2020





	1. Definition of Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ezra discusses family with Ursa Wren, before the Battle of Atollon

To say that Ezra was unsettled would be an understatement. Mandalorians unnerved him (Sabine included, and especially her family), and being in Sabine’s family home set him on edge. And that was under  _ normal _ circumstances. Not the circumstances that  _ caused _ him to be here; namely, begging for help protecting Phoenix Squadron as they escaped Atollon before Thrawn showed up.

They’d agreed (he suspected Sabine had all-but convinced her mother to help after he’d comm’d, but before he’d arrived in the  _ Nightbrother _ ), but they couldn’t just leave immediately. Time was of the essence, everyone understood that, but it also took time to load ships with crews and supplies. So it was agreed that they’d leave first thing in the morning, taking the most direct hyperspace routes to get there as soon as possible.

Ezra knew he should sleep, but he couldn’t calm down enough. So, instead, he had taken to wandering the halls aimlessly, hoping he didn’t pass out. Luckily, no one else was out and about, in case he did.

_ Almost _ no one.

“Ezra Bridger,” a sharp, disapproving voice called out from behind him, and he froze. Slowly, he turned to face Sabine’s mother.

“Countess Wren,” he replied, bowing slightly and hoping that she couldn’t tell how badly his voice was shaking.

“Should you not be resting before we leave? We are doing this on  _ your _ behalf, after all.”

“I know, I just…” Ezra sighed. “I’m worried for everyone. I hope they can hold out until we get there.”

“You should believe in your crew, and the others. My daughter says that your crew is like a family. You should know by now how important family is to Mandalorians.”

Ezra smiled, despite his nerves, when he thought of his crew. “Yeah, we really are.”

“Tell me about them.”

“Well, there’s Kanan, my master. You met him before. He takes care of us, and I guess he’s kinda like our dad. I mean, he could never replace my real dad, but…he makes me feel like I have a home again.

“Then there’s Hera. She’s a Twi’lek. Kanan might be Spectre-1, but Hera’s totally the boss. Her ship, her rules, her punishments. But she cares for us, too. When I got sick, she sat with me and ran her fingers through my hair, like my mom used to. You’d probably like her.” Ezra glanced over, to make sure he didn’t overstep any bounds, but Ursa Wren’s expression was unreadable.

“Zeb’s a Lasat. He’s kinda like what I’d assume a big brother is like, sometimes arguing and fighting with me, but helping me out and taking care of me, too. It’s weird, though, since he’s older than Kanan. Maybe he’s more like an uncle?

“Oh, and then there’s Chopper. That’s Hera’s droid. He’s kinda like the family pet.” Ezra paused. “But don’t tell him I said that. He’d probably shock me to death for it.” He thought he heard a chuckle at that, but she gave nothing away. It was probably his imagination.

“And you and my daughter? Where do you fall in this family?”

The smile on Ezra’s face widened, despite himself. “Sabine’s my sister. We’ve been through a lot, and even if we argue and disagree on things, I know that she’d have my back in an instant, and I’d have hers.

“When I first met the crew of the  _ Ghost _ , I’d been on my own for 7 years. I didn’t trust anyone other than myself, and didn’t rely on anyone. When they took me in, I didn’t know how to act. But they helped me through everything. When I didn’t understand why, Sabine explained it to me. Everyone on the  _ Ghost _ is family, and I was now part of it. Even if it took longer for her to warm up to me, personally, her saying that… it was what made me feel like I belonged. I owe her a lot.”

Ursa Wren was silent for a while, and Ezra was afraid he’d offended her. Finally, she spoke. “How much  _ do _ you know about Mandalorian culture, Ezra Bridger?”

He looked down sheepishly. “Not a lot. Family is important, your armor is important, and you like to fight.”

She appraised him. “Well enough, for an outsider, I suppose. Mandalorians are not a race, like Lasats or Twi’lek. We are a culture, a creed. We add to our numbers not just through birth, but in the taking of Foundlings. Those with no home, no family of their own, we adopt into our Houses and Clans, making them into new Mandalorians.”

“That’s… that’s pretty cool, actually.” Ezra, for a moment, wondered what would have happened if he’d been discovered by Mandalorians after his parents had died, and been taken in by them.

“My daughter, to both you and I, has called your crew a family. And you have confirmed the familial bonds between the two of you.” Ezra nodded slowly, unsure where she was going with this. “If you are the brother of my daughter, then you would be my son, as well.” She reached into her pocket, pulling out a leather cord with a metal piece hanging from it. “This is the skull of a Mythosaur. Mandalorians once rode them into battle, and, as such, has become a symbol of Mandalorian culture. It is only fitting that you wear this into battle. To show that you are family.”

Ezra stared at her, before graciously accepting the gift. “Th-thank you, Countess Wren.”

She nodded sharply, and turned back the way she had come. “We will be leaving before the sun rises. Do try to get rest before then.”

“I will. And thank you again,” he said, bowing. Then he grinned cheekily. “So, if I’m family, when do I get my own armor?”

She turned to give him a cold stare. “You are not *that* much of a Mandalorian,” she informed him, then turned quickly to be on her way. Quickly, so that the Jedi would not see the flicker of smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompts Flicker, Familial Love, Opening Up, Urgency, and Homesickness
> 
> Prompt List:  
> 1\. Broken  
> 2\. Ocean  
>  ~~3\. Flicker~~  
>  ~~4\. Familial Love~~  
>  5\. Firsts  
> 6\. Overprotective  
> 7\. Ancient  
> 8\. Steps  
> 9\. Hope  
> 10\. Sharing a Meal  
> 11\. Lost  
> 12\. Nature  
> 13\. Faint  
> 14\. Childhood Memories  
>  ~~15\. Opening Up~~  
>  16\. Bumblebees  
> 17\. Sun  
> 18\. Truth  
> 19\. Tomorrow  
> 20\. Tears of Joy  
>  ~~21\. Urgency~~  
>  22\. Haunt  
> 23\. Fun and Games  
> 24\. Teaching/Learning a Basic Skill  
> 25\. Endings  
> 26\. Winter  
> 27\. Blood  
>  ~~28\. Homesickness~~  
>  29\. Hugging  
> 30\. Belief


	2. Skipping Stones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One night while Ezra can't sleep, he thinks on how small he is, compared to the vast galaxy.

Ezra flopped down in the sand, staring out at the endless water. He'd slipped out when everyone else was asleep, just wanting to be by himself for a little bit. Regardless, he wasn't surprised when he heard soft steps in the sand, coming up behind him. Without even needing to look, he knew that it was his Master.

“Do you ever feel like what we're doing is useless?” Ezra asked Kanan.

Kanan sat down beside his student, looking out over the water. “Every little thing makes a difference, Ezra.” He closed his eyes, remembering back to when he'd questioned his own Master the same thing.

~~~~~

Caleb Dume stared in wonder at the expanse of water in front of him. He looked back to his master, as Depa Bilaba came to stand next to him.

“Master! It's so huge!” he exclaimed

“You've never seen an ocean before, have you?”

He shook his head. “It seems like it has no end. Like the galaxy” He put a hand behind his head to scratch it, and grinned at her. “Makes me feel like I'm really insignificant.”

Depa chuckled. “Even the smallest pebble can make a change, Padawan.”

“What do you mean?”

Depa knelt down, picking up a pebble from the beach, and tossing it into the water. She watched with the boy, as the ripples faded away. “See?”

“But the ripples are only temporary.”

“On the surface. But the ocean floor has been forever changed, because now that pebble is part of it.”  
  
Caleb nodded. “But Master, I don't want to just make some ripples.”

She knelt down again, searching for a few moments until she found just the right rock. Knocking it in her fingers, she let it fly, and together they watched as it skipped a number of times ripples expanding into ripples into ripples. “Then you need to be a skipping stone, not a pebble.”

Caleb knew that she was teaching him a lesson. That wasn't what he was interested in, though... “Can you teach me to do that?” he asked excitedly, causing Depa to fall back laughing.

~~~~~

Kanan's eyes never left the water, as he felt around for the right stones. “Ezra, imagine that the ocean is the galaxy. And this pebble,” he held up the stone in illustration, “is one job we do.” He tossed the stone into the water, and they watched the ripples fade. “The ripples may disappear, but that stone will forever have changed the ocean floor.” He knocked a second stone in his hand. “And when we do more jobs...” Letting the stone fly, the two watched it skip across the surface, the ripples blending together.

“Then what we do ripples?” Ezra asked.

Kanan threw a companionable arm around the boy. “Exactly. We might feel insignificant, but we still make a difference.”

Ezra smiled, and leaned against his master. “Will you teach me to skip stones like that?”

“Sure,” Kanan replied. “But in the morning. C'mon, let's get back to bed.” Kanan helped Ezra up, and together they walked back to the _Ghost_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompts Ocean, Steps, Nature, Childhood Memories, and Fun and Games.
> 
> Prompt List:  
> 1\. Broken  
>  ~~2\. Ocean~~  
>  ~~3\. Flicker~~  
>  ~~4\. Familial Love~~  
>  5\. Firsts  
> 6\. Overprotective  
> 7\. Ancient  
>  ~~8\. Steps~~  
>  9\. Hope  
> 10\. Sharing a Meal  
> 11\. Lost  
>  ~~12\. Nature~~  
>  13\. Faint  
>  ~~14\. Childhood Memories~~  
>  ~~15\. Opening Up~~  
>  16\. Bumblebees  
> 17\. Sun  
> 18\. Truth  
> 19\. Tomorrow  
> 20\. Tears of Joy  
>  ~~21\. Urgency~~  
>  22\. Haunt  
>  ~~23\. Fun and Games~~  
>  24\. Teaching/Learning a Basic Skill  
> 25\. Endings  
> 26\. Winter  
> 27\. Blood  
>  ~~28\. Homesickness~~  
>  29\. Hugging  
> 30\. Belief


End file.
